I gotta admit, I was a little burnt out on XBC3 when I went into this, so I was a little worried once I started it. Imagine my surprise when not even 20 minutes in, I was already incredibly invested, and by the end, I didn't want it to be over. Future Redeemed takes every system that works from XBC3 and builds upon them in such a fun and satisfying way that it makes the gameplay loop maybe the most enjoyable in the entire series. Playing as Rex is quite possibly the most fun I've had in a JRPG, Double Spinning Edge is one hell of a drug. In terms of story, I gotta hand it to FR for being able to weave bits and pieces from all 3 XBC games, alongside nods to Xenosaga and Xenogears, and do it all so coheasively, its an enjoyable tale all the way through. FR doesn't add too much new music, but the pieces it does have all stand out extremely well, with the Final Boss theme in particular being absolutely insane. My last big praise for FR is its length, because it genuinely feels like the perfect length, its not too long nor too short, I never felt like my interest was fading, it really nailed that sweet spot. In conclusion, I'm feeling full of beans and I need XBC4 stat.

still really strong, i absolutely love the affinity system in particular which encourages you to explore and do sidequests. i think it would be really fitting for future xenoblade games on a bigger scale? but understandable if not since the growth is meant to be more vertical than horizontal like base 3. things like the enemypedia and the map trackers were all incredibly helpful.

i will say now that i've 100% the game: FUCK the superbosses and how it stresses how restrictive the gameplay can be in this game. when your party only has two healers and only they can heal, you spend most of your time praying your healers can revive fast enough because the moment your attackers get breathed on they die. terrible gimmicks that really stress test the combat system